Microsoft Office 365 Backup – What are Your Options?

Data loss is the biggest fear of every business in the digital age. The importance of protecting sales records, financial reports, trade secrets, official and personal information, and other business data cannot be understated. While many businesses are opting for cloud solutions to safeguard their data, it does not imply that the data is backed up by default. Corruption in mailboxes, accidental, or malicious attempts to delete them could result in a scenario in which the responsibility of data recovery rests with the end-user. Loss of cloud data because it could not be recovered is more likely to happen due to oversight rather than the lack of options. Let us look at the different Microsoft Office 365 backup options available for protecting business data.

SharePoint and OneDrive Backups

Microsoft backs up data in datacenters that are distributed around the globe. The data is replicated in at least two of Microsoft’s datacenters from which the backups can be retrieved over 14 days. To make use of this feature, you can enable and configure the versioning of lists and libraries in SharePoint Online. This can be done on the Versioning Settings page for the SharePoint Document Library and List. The item or document whose backup needs to be restored from its Version History. Even data that is deleted from the Recycle bin and sent to the site collection Recycle Bin can be recovered within 93 days.

Exchange Online Backup

Exchange Online provides the Exchange Online Archiving feature that provides unlimited email archiving space. This feature is called auto-expanding archiving as the archive mailbox will continue to expand if Microsoft 365 detects that the storage limit is about to be breached. This feature applies even to shared mailboxes. However, it can only be with enabled the premium Exchange Online Plan 1 and Exchange Online Plan 2 subscriptions that have licensed Exchange Online Archiving. The archiving feature can be enabled either through the Security and Compliance Center or through PowerShell. The auto-expanding feature can, however, only be enabled using PowerShell.

Backups Using 3rd Party Tools

Third-party tools typically provide backup features that complement or supersede the ones available with Office 365 subscriptions. Apart from the full and incremental backups, many of them include granular recovery features that can be used to back up individual folders, messages, attachments, contacts, calendars, and tasks apart from entire mailboxes. Many of these tools support hybrid scenarios in which they can be used for on-premises deployments as well. Some of the advanced tools can even backup and restore Groups, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams data such as conversations along with their metadata. A few of them have integrated functions for eDiscovery and legal hold.

Apps4Rent Can Help with Office 365 Implementation

While backups are necessary for all digital information, the level of backup that organizations require vary. Implementing a dependable data backup solution is far more affordable than the potential costs involved in recovering lost or corrupted data. While some of these Microsoft Office 365 backup options are available by default, others need specific licenses. As a Tier 1 Microsoft CSP, Apps4Rent can help businesses protect their data by recommending the best Office 365 solutions and implementing them at promotional prices. We provide free 24/7 assistance via phone, chat, and email with Office 365 migration services for our annual subscribers. Contact our experts to know more about our special Office 365 service offers.